1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to optical devices, and more particularly, the present invention relates to optical waveguide switches, variable optical attenuators, and combination waveguide and lenslet arrays.
2. Background of the Invention
The increasing demand for high-speed voice and data communications has led to an increased reliance on optical communications, particularly optical fiber communications. The use of optical signals as a vehicle to carry channeled information at high speeds is preferred in many instances to carrying channeled information at other electromagnetic wavelengths/frequencies in media such as microwave transmission lines, co-axial cable lines and twisted pair transmission lines. Advantages of optical media are, among others, high-channel (bandwidth), greater immunity to electromagnetic interference, and lower propagation loss. In fact, it is common for high-speed optical communication system to have signal rates in the range of approximately several Giga bits per second (Gbit/sec) to approximately several tens of Gbit/sec.
One way of carrying information in an optical communication system, for example an optical network, is via an array of optical fibers. Ultimately, the optical fibers may be coupled to another array of waveguides, such as another optical fiber array, or a waveguide array of an optoelectronic integrated circuit (OEIC). In order to assure the accuracy of the coupling of the fiber array to another waveguide array, it becomes important to accurately position each optical fiber in the array.
Optical switches serve a variety of applications in optical communication systems. Once type of such optical switches are mechanical switches. Mechanical optical switches have been used in a variety of optical fiber routing applications to switch between particular optical signal pads to provide reliable optical transmission routes for carrying optical signals.